Slat for chain-link fence



-- Nov. 28, 1957 w. H. TAYLOR 3,355,150

SLAT FOR CHAIN-LINK FENCE Filed Oct. 25, 1965 2 Shets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR.

MAL/AM fin mz United States Patent 3,355,150 SLAT FOR CHAIN-LINK FENCE William H. Taylor, Los Angeles., Calif. (5510 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, Calif. 90230) Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. N0. 503,544 4 Claims. (Cl. 25634) This invention relates to fence construction, and specifically to slats adapted to be secured to a chain-link fence.

Chain-link fence has come into widespread use to satisfy a variety of fencing requirements. Such fences are formed from a fabric of interwoven strands of heavygage wire, and are typically supported between a series of upright posts secured in the ground or in some other foundation. The intertwined-wire construction forms a fence having a large number of square or diamond-shaped apertures. Thus, while such fences are very strong, they do not provide privacy or serve as a windbreak due to the apertured construction.

To combine the desired structural characteristics of a chain-link fence with the vision-obstructing and windbreaking qualities of a conventional solid fence, several different styles of slats have been proposed for use with chain-link fence. Typical designs are described in U.S. Patents 2,760,759 and 3,069,142 which show various methods for engaging a series of elongated slats with the fence fabric to provide privacy and wind protection.

A fence slat used for this purpose should include some means for securing an end of the slat to the chainlink fence in order to simplify installation of the slat, and to prevent inadvertent dislodgment of the installed slat. The securing systems provided in existing slats, however, are unsatisfactory from several standpoints.

Some slats include a tab extending from one end, and the tab'is bent around a strand in the fence to fasten the slat in place. The tab, however, is not anchored in place, and is easily bent out of position whereby the slat is no longer firmly secured to the fence strand. Alternatively, some slats may have bendable tabs stamped out of the body of the slat. This arrangement has the disadvantages of being non-locking and of weakening the slat in precisely the region where it should be strongest; viz., the

point of attachment to the fence. Furthermore, many existing slats incorporate securing means which are unattractive, and which are awkward and slow to engage with the fence, slowing assembly and increasing overall cost.

-The slat of this invention overcomes these objections to prior designs by incorporating an integral tab which extends from an end of the slat, and which is adapted for positive looking to the slat after being bent around a wire strand in the chain-link fence. Structural strength and rigidity at the slat end is preserved, and the tab and locking means can be economically stamped in a single operation. The slat can be installed very quickly by unskilled workers, and presents a uniform, attractive appearance in the finished fence.

Briefly stated, the invention includes an elongated slat which is receivable in a channel formed by intersecting wire strands in a chain-link fence. An elongated tab is integrally formed with and extends from one end of the slat. A locking ear is integrally formed on either the tab or the slat, and whichever of the tab and slat does not carry the locking ear defines an aperture. The tab is placed on one side of a wire strand in the chain-link fence, and is then deformed back around the strand against the slat to place the ear in locking engagement through the aperture. The end of the slat is thereby locked in the channel.

Several embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of a portion of a chain-link fence incorporating several fence slats according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a presently preferred form of the fence slat of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the tab in engagement with the slat;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing an alternate manner of engaging the tab with the slat;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a first alternative form of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 7, showing the tab engaged with the slat;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second alternative form of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 9, showing the tab engaged with the slat;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a third alternative form of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 11, showing the tab engaged with the slat;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fourth alternative form of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 13, showing the tab engaged with the slat;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fifth alternative form of the invention; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 15, showing the tab engaged with the slat.

Referring to FIG. 1, a typical chain-link fence 10 is formed from a series of interwoven, generally vertically oriented pairs of strands 11 and 12 of relatively heavygage wire. The ends of the two strands forming each strand pair are twisted together to form a row of barbs 14 along the top and bottom of the fence.

Strands 11 and 12 descend from the upper barb and extend away from each other to intersect and Wrap around a respective strand in the adjoining strand pairs. After these intersections, strands 11 and 12 converge toward each other to intersect and wrap around each other. The strands thereafter again diverge to intersect and wrap around respective strands in the adjoining strand pairs. The intersecting wire strand thus form a fence having a series of square or diamond-shaped openings 16.

The strand intersections and the strands extending between the intersections combine to form a series of diagonally oriented valleys or channels in the fence. Referring to FIG. 2, a first set of parallel channels 18 is formed by the intersections and strands, and these channels open toward the viewer and extend diagonally across the fence from upper right to lower left as viewed in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 3, a second set of parallel channels 20 is formed by the intersections and strands, and these channels open away from the viewer and extend diagonally across the fence from upper left to lower right as viewed in FIG. 1.

The weaving process by which the fence is fabricated causes the strands forming the body of each channel to be slightly bowed away from the open side of the channel as shown in FIGS. 2 and.3. The strand intersections form a horizontal line define a horizontal channel. These channels are narrower than channels 18 and 2t and do not have an open face as they are closed by the strands which define them. The fence slat of this invention is preferably used in the diagonally extending channels as slat installation is considerably simplified by using these open channels.

A fence slat means 25 constructed according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 4-7. The slat is preferably formed from an elongated piece of thin, resilient or flexible sheet metal having a curved or arched cross section. The slat is very similar in appearance to a Venetianlind lath, and can be formed from the same aluminum sheet stock used to fabricate such laths. The slat can be produced in any convenient length, depending upon the dimensions of the chain-link fence in which the slat is to be used.

A tab means such as a tab 27 is integrally formed with and extends from an end 28 of the slat. A locking ear 30 is cut from the tab, and is positioned near the end of the tab away from slat end 28. Preferably, the locking ear is bent to extend slightly above the flat surface of the tab, as viewed in FIG. 4. An aperture 32 is punched in the body of the slat near end 28. The aperture extends laterally across the center part of the slat body, and has a width slightly greater than the width of tab 27. Preferably, the corners of end 28 of the slat are diagonally trimmed, reducing the width of theslat end to simplify initial positioning of the slat in a fence channel.

To install the slat in a chain-link fence, the slat is positioned with its convex side facing the open side of one of the diagonally extending channels 18 in the fence, with upper end 28 of the slat adjacent the upper-most strand in the channel. The tab is then bent around the strand and back against the slat body, with the end of the tab threaded into aperture 32. The tab is pushed into the aperture until locking ear 30 passes through the aperture and engages the slat body. The tab and slat then have the relative position shown in FIG. 5, and the slat may be given a sharp downward pull to crease the tab where it passes over the fence strand.

Although the tab shown in FIG. is bent rearwardly over the strand to contact the convex surface of the slat, the tab may alternatively be initially positioned behind the fence strand and then bent forwardly around the strand to contact the concave surface of the slat and be threaded through the aperture from that side. If this alternative type of installation is planned, locking car 30 is formed to extend slightly below the flat surface of the tab as viewed in FIG. 4.

For temporary installations, or where locking strength of the tab is unimportant, the assembly step of threading the tab through the aperture may be eliminated, as shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the tab is simply bent around the strand and into contact with the slat body so only locking ear 30 passes through the aperture to engage the slat body.

When the slat has been secured to the top strand in the channel, the slat is then pressed into the full length of the channel as shown in FIG. 1. This is conveniently done by passing a roller along the length of the concave side of the slat, the edges of the slat yieldingly passing the longitudinal edges of the channel to snap into shallow grooves 22 on each side of the channel. The slat is thereby trapped by the inwardly turned longitudinal edges of the channel, and is prevented from moving longitudinally out of the channel by the tab which is locked around the uppermost strand in the channel.

The slat may also be installed with its concave side toward the open face of the channel by manually compressing the slat edges toward each other so the slat can pass the inwardly turned longitudinal edges of the channel to engage grooves 22 at each strand intersection. Normally, however, the slat is installed with its convex side toward the open face of the channel as this makes possible the use of a roller to force the Slat into engagement with the fence quickly and easily.

As shown in FIG. 1, sufiicient slats may be installed in the fence to cover all the parallel, diagonally extending channels 18 in the area where privacy or a windbreak is desired. For decorative purposes, or to provide additional locking of the slats, a second set of spaced-apart slats may be installed in the fence to extend approximately perpendicularly to the already installed slats. Such locking slats must be threaded into channels 26 from the upper or lower edge of the fence as the faces of channels 20 are now closed by the slats installed in channels 18. Normally, a slat would not be installed in each channel 20, the desired locking action being provided by installing a slat in every fifth or even every tenth channel 20. The locking slats may be identical to slats 25 as installed in channels 18, and may be locked in place by securing the slat tab around a fence strand as already described.

A first alternative form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and includes a thin tab 46 extending longitudinally from the center of one end of a slat 41. The end of the tab away from the slat is enlarged in width, and a pair of longitudinal cuts 42 1 re made in this portion to form a pair of spaced-apart locking ears 43 which extend toward the slat. The tab is bent around the uppermost strand in a fence channel as described above, and threaded into an aperture 45 in the slat body until the locking ears pass through the aperture into locking engagement with the slat as shown in FIG. 8.

A second alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG. 9, and includes a tab 48 integrally formed with and extending longitudinally from one end of a slat 50. A pair of laterally spaced apertures 51 are formed in the tab. A pair of laterally spaced locking ears 52 are stamped from the slat body adjacent the end of the slat which carries the strand. As shown in FIG. 10, the tab is bent around the fence strand and drawn against the slat so the locking ears pass through the apertures to engage the tab.

A third alternative form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and includes a generally T-shaped tab 55 integrally formed with and extending longitudinally from one end of a slat 56. Extending toward the slat from each side of the T are a pair of locking cars 57. A pair of laterally spaced, longitudinally elongated apertures 58 are formed in the slat body adjacent the end of the slat carrying the tab. The tab is bent around a fence strand and the locking tabs are resiliently deformed toward each other to be threaded through apertures 58. The locking ears then resiliently expand away from each other to lock the tab to the slat as shown in FIG. 12.

A fourth alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG. 13, and includes a tab 60 integrally formed with and extending longitudinally from one end of a slat 61. A locking ear 62 extends first laterally from the tab and then longitudinally back toward the slat. As shown in FIG. 14, the tab is bent around the fence strand, and the locking ear resiliently deformed to be threaded through a longitudinally elongated aperture 63 in the slat body.

A fifth alternative form of the invention is shown in FIG. 15, and includes a tab 66 integrally formed with and longitudinally extending from one end of a slat 67. A pair of locking ears 68 are formed in'each side of the tab, and are similar to the single locking ear as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. A pair of apertures 69 are cut into opposite edges of the slat body. As shown in FIG. 16, the tab is bent around a fence strand, and the locking ears are slipped through the apertures into locking engagement with the slat body.

Although the invention has been described with reference to installation in diagonally extending channels in a chain-link fence, it is also usable in vertical and horizontal closed channels which are formed by the fabric of this type of fence. Installation in the open, diagonally extending channels is preferred, however, as the slats can be snapped into place without threading except for whatever locking slats may be used. Other forms of apertures and tabs extending from the end of the slat will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that all such forms fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Slat means for use with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven of intersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, the slat means being elongated, relatively narrow, and received in one of the channels, tab means integrally formed on and extending from one end of the slat means, and a locking ear integrally formed on one of said means, the other of said means having an aperture, the tab being deformed around a wire strand in the fence and back against the slat, the ear being in locking engagement through the aperture to secure the end of the slat in the channel.

2. Slat means for use with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven of intersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, the slat means being formed from a resilient material and being elongated, transversely arched, relatively narrow, and received in one of the channels, tab means integrally formed on and extending from one end of the slat means, and a locking ear integrally formed on one of said means, the other of said means having an aperture, the tab being deformed around a wire strand in the fence and back against the slat, the ear being in locking engagement through the aperture to secure the end of the slat in the channel.

3. A slat for use with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven of intersecting wire strands and forming a series of channels, the slat being formed from a resilient material and being elongated, transversely arched, relatively narrow, and received in one of the channels, a tab integrally formed on and extending from one end of the slat, and a locking ear integrally formed on the tab, the slat having an aperture, the tab being deformed around a wire strand in the fence and back against the slat, the ear being in locking engagement through the aperture to secure the end of the slat in the channel.

4. A slat for use with a chain-link fence, the fence being woven of intersecting wire strands and forming a series References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 621,496 3/1899 Johnson et al. 256-47 3,069,142 12/1962 Kessler 25634 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. SLAT MEANS FOR USE WITH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE, THE FENCE BEING WOVEN OF INTERSECTING WIRE STRANDS AND FORMING A SERIES OF CHANNELS, THE SLAT MEANS BEING ELONGATED, RELATIVELY NARROW, AND RECEIVED IN ONE OF THE CHANNELS, TAB MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED ON AND EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF THE SLAT MEANS, AND A LOCKING EAR INTEGRALLY FORMED ON ONE OF SAID MEANS, THE OTHER OF SAID MEANS HAVING AN APERTURE, THE TAB BEING DEFORMED AROUND A WIRE STRAND IN THE FENCE AND BACK AGAINST THE SLAT, THE EAR BEING IN LOCKING ENGAGEMENT THROUGH THE APERTURE TO SECURE THE END OF THE SLAT IN THE CHANNEL. 